masticatory

American  

[mas-ti-kuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / ˈmæs tɪ kəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or used in or for mastication.

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noun

• masticatories
  plural

1. Pharmacology. a medicinal substance to be chewed, as to promote the secretion of saliva.

masticatory British  

/ ˈmæstɪkətərɪ, -trɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or adapted to chewing

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noun

1. obsolete a medicinal substance chewed to increase the secretion of saliva

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unmasticatory
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• masticatories
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of masticatory

From the New Latin word masticātōrius, dating back to 1605–15. See masticate, -tory ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

masticatory masticatories

And rotifers also have a specialized masticatory apparatus -- "teeth" -- that the team hypothesized could grind microplastics into smaller particles.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2023

The cathode was positioned at the hiatus infraorbitalis, and the anode was inserted into the masticatory muscles.

From Nature ● Apr. 4, 2014

I can venture positively to assert that there is no vestige of a mouth, or masticatory organs, or stomach: I did not see any anus, but I will not affirm that such does not exist.

From A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia With Figures of all the Species. by Charles Darwin

A small quantity is taken by the Chinese ports, but whether as a masticatory or for tanning and dyeing I am not aware.

From The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom Considered in Their Various Uses to Man and in Their Relation to the Arts and Manufactures; Forming a Practical Treatise & Handbook of Reference for the Colonist, Manufacturer, Merchant, and Consumer, on the Cultivation, Preparation for Shipment, and Commercial Value, &c. of the Various Substances Obtained From Trees and Plants, Entering into the Husbandry of Tropical and Sub-tropical Regions, &c. by P. L. Simmonds

Chavica betel.—This plant is found all over the East Indies, where its leaf is largely used by Indian natives as a masticatory.

From Catalogue of Economic Plants in the Collection of the U. S. Department of Agriculture by William Saunders

They proceed at once to stain what is left with frequent applications of the above-mentioned masticatories.

From The Manóbos of Mindanáo Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume XXIII, First Memoir by John M. Garvan

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